WGA to honor honorees as new contract heralds industry changes

For the approximately 12,000 scribes that the Writers Guild of America represents, the last year has been a roller coaster of emotions: the guild engaged in a work stoppage for more than four and a half months in 2023 which, alongside to a partially overlapping SAG-AFTRA strike, resulted in a work stoppage of more than four and a half months in 2023. production shut down.

But with a new contract now in hand, the upcoming Writers Guild Awards offer union members an opportunity for a collective exhale. On April 14, Emmy-winning actress and producer Niecy Nash-Betts will host the event in Los Angeles, as part of joint, simultaneous ceremonies in Hollywood and New York that will give writers the opportunity to both celebrate some of the best recent work of theirs while looking to the future.

“We've made a lot of progress,” says Meredith Stiehm, creator of “Cold Case” and president of WGA West since 2021, noting what she called “a collage of victories” in their negotiated settlement, ranging from guarantees to AI material to writing room guarantees. “I think a big challenge now is to make sure that they are enforced and that we protect [members]she said, adding that the organization is closely monitoring ongoing negotiations between IATSE, the Teamsters and the Hollywood Basic Crafts coalition with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

The awards ceremony finds itself in an unusual position. WGA winners in 26 categories spanning film, television, news media and radio/audio will be awarded more than a month after the Academy Awards, instead of before, as is the case usually.

“Air,” “Barbie,” “The Holdovers,” “May December” and “Past Lives” vie for the WGA trophy for original screenplay, while “American Fiction,” “Are You There God?” It’s Me, Margaret,” “Killers of the Flower Moon” and “Oppenheimer” compete in the adapted category. Cord Jefferson won the adapted screenplay Oscar for “American Fiction,” while the Oscar-winning original screenplay, “Anatomy of a Fall” by Justine Triet and Arthur Harari, was ineligible for similar honors from the WGA.

On the TV side, the writers of freshman shows like “The Curse,” “The Diplomat,” “The Last of Us” and “Jury Duty” are hoping to triumph over shows like “The Crown,” Succession”, “Abbott Elementary”, “Barry”, “The Bear” and “Only Murders in the Building”.

The 76th annual awards ceremony will be held at the Hollywood Palladium rather than in the hotel ballrooms of the Beverly Hilton or Century Plaza, putting a different spin on the evening. Presenters expected to appear at the Los Angeles awards show include Drew Carey, Tony Hale, Nathan Fielder, Bill Burr, Randall Park and Tig Notaro.

Although it is not broadcast, the West Coast party, with more than 800 participants, is nevertheless produced like a television show, “with a big budget, with a lot of cameras and production value,” explains the producer Hugh Fink. He will work cooperatively with the WGA East Coast Small Dinner, hosted by writer-performer Josh Gondelman, to ensure announcements are in sync to avoid spoilers.

Fink's main goal is to create an irreverent, hip and casual tone for the WGA festivities. “Writers as a group obviously have a different mentality than directors or actors, and they are super intelligent but somewhat cynical and sarcastic,” observes Fink.

To that end, Fink is extremely involved in writing, drawing on skills learned during his years working as a comedian, as well as on “Saturday Night Live.” As with the producer of almost any live show, his biggest anxiety is time.

Yet the classical violinist has an additional method of getting things done. “I ask the host to announce during the monologue: 'When you see the light [come on]come down, and if you don’t, you’re going to be played by the Writers Guild Symphony Orchestra,” says Fink.

“I played the theme from ‘Schindler’s List,’ another year I played ‘Kashmir’ by Led Zeppelin – whatever song is really funny.”